More User Reviews:

Poured a clear yellow in color with a frothy and moderately-lived white head. There's even some lacing. Aromas are hard to note. Only a bit of citrus to be smelled. Flavor is, like the other Rickard's I've had, macro-esque with an attempt to add something to it. In this case, a bit of bitterness creeps in at the end of this disappointing beer. Thin, but still decently drinkable. (436 characters)

A lighter shade of "pale." This beer exhibited characteristics I might expect had I mixed a Molson lager with Bass ale, but at a 4-1 margin (Molson to Bass).

Standard aroma for a light beer -- but this is a pale ale (?).

Taste was pretty crisp, a la its lager offspring, and I do sense the use of adjuncts. Hops were not quite up to snuff (IBU's), nor would the mouthfeel match a true pale (assuming an American variety, least of all a Burton). Still, not a terrible beer by any means -- just a "pale" in training wheels. (528 characters)

On-tap at Boston Pizza in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Pours a very pale yellow, with a negligible head. First sip is tinny and bitter, followed by a slight floral/grainy flavor. Feather-lite body. Clean, crisp finish. This one was such a disappointment I didn't finish it. I expect more from Canadian beers. (301 characters)

A well meaning family member happened to buy me a Rickard's taster's pack for Xmas this past year. It has been taking up valuable space in the fridge up until now. I figured what the hell, I might as well review them.

So this then looked like the safest of the lot, the Pale ale, er (glancing at the bottle), the (ahem) India Pale Ale... My bottle claims only 4.8 % abv however. A little research on the site tells me it's simply the Pale Ale, the real Rickard's IPA is 6%.

It pours out a clear golden colour with a bit of white head, actually would look good for a lager. Intense malt on the nose, caramel and roasted corn, nary a hop to be found however. Yet with the taste everything sort of hits the crapper. The malt is weak, and everything else becomes bitter and astringent, and more from the adjuncts than any supposed hop content, as the boiled cabbage flavour will expose. The mouthfeel is caustic from the carbonation and whatever adjuncts have crept their way into this brew. Perhaps this was intended to be drank straight out of the bottle, but the drinkability is a no go for me. Whoa, and I thought this was the safest one of the three from the taster's pack, I better pull out my garlic and holy water for the other two...

Final impression is that Rickard's falsely and confusingly labelled india Pale ale is nothing but a farce, I'd actually rather drink Big Rock's pretender IPA than this stuff. (1,422 characters)

Very strong evidence of carmel in both the taste and aroma of this draught...The body was full and the crown was of 2 fingers when first poured but did disapate in short order to a heavy lace. Not a brew to my liking and scored it accordingly. (243 characters)

341ml bottle poured in a pint glass. As far as I know, currently this is only available in this area in the Rickard's Taster Pack.

Nice, clear golden colour. Foamy, white 3/4 inch head on the pour, but quickly recedes to a thin skim across the top.

Doesn't really smell like a pale ale. More like a macro. Grainy and slightly sour with undertones of corn.

Tastes more like a macro lager as well. Pretty blah. Basic grainy taste with a bit of corn. No hops evident. Off-veggie aftertaste.

Mouthfeel is a rather harsh. Fizzy and acidic.

This really is an unpleasant experience. The fact that they call this a pale ale just seems to be a grab for some of the craft beer market. I suppose they were just looking for a catchy name to go with the red and honey brown in the Rickard's line. This wouldn't even rate decently as a macro lager, but as a pale ale it's terrible. Oh ya, and they actually have "India Pale Ale" on the label, but on the Molson website it refers to it as "Rickard's Pale Ale", but later says it is "brewed in the style of traditional India Pale Ales." Pfft! Ya right! (1,101 characters)

Enjoyed on-tap with the family a the newest restaurant in my hometown in Ontario.

A - Pours a pale golden colour, thumb of head with decent retention and some sporadic lacing.

S - Grassy hops, though a bit mild and metallic in nature.

T - Grassy hops dominate with a touch of bready caramel malts on the finish. Unmemorable and a bit mild for a pale ale, though that's not all that unexpected given the brewery. Still tasty with a meal.

M - A nice medium bodied ale that goes down smooth and finishes with only a touch of dryness.

D - Overall, easily drinkable but hardly a pale ale from a hop perspective. If you're looking for an easy drinking beer with your meal, without being overpowering on the palette, this one is an easy option. (742 characters)

On tap at robins....appearance is like the standard fizzy golden ales Molsons makes but there is a distinct breadyness in the flavour profile..medium light bodied and quick finish with a biscuit after tase...hops sit in the back ...not overly sweet...not a bad beer to have with a burger but nothing distinct to recommend it either (331 characters)

Pours a clear straw color with no amber or red colors. The wispy head leaves lackluster webs. The aroma is grainy with light malt sugars and some metallic bitterness. The taste is much the same with little to no hop character. No fruity esthers, this is like a lager. The mouthfeel is prickly with unnaturally harsh carbonation. The finish is somewhat sweet and very bland.

Bleh, another fake IPA for Canada to be embarassed about. Thank god for Scotch Irish, Tree, Propeller and a few others who make actual IPAs.

Edit:

My bottle said India Pale Ale and 4.8% ABV, maybe its the export label for the Pale Ale, here it is:

Deep gold/amber colour, quite clear, with a thin white head that quickly dissipated, leaving a smattering of lace. Light aromas of caramel and brown sugar with no detectable hop character. Mild hop bitterness with thin malt. Some fruit along with a hint of hops and caramel. Light bodied, a bit watery, with moderate carbonation. A poor pale ale, although I suppose you can't put a lot of hop character in the beer unless you balance it with a respectable amount of malt. Super weak. (483 characters)

Probably the only of the Rickard's family worth trying, maybe?
Color is a pale light amber, glowing more gold to the light, a small white head that faded fast leaving some spotty lace. Smell is faint and subdued of floral hops and a caramel backing. Tastes like it smells, a mediocre balance of floral hops, barely bitter, but present with a caramel malt inbetween certaitn areas. Smooth to the point of not caring anymore about whats going on in there if anything. Medium body but a bit watery and some grabbing bitter drying trying to make an effort to say hello. Not all that good for a pale. Its trying real hard, but coming up short. (639 characters)

I had this one, on tap at a local mexican restaurant. Pours out a nice and clear golden yellow color, with a bit of laceing. Smell was good, smells fresh, with a bit of floral hop aroma. I was disappointed with this one to be honest, there was very little hop bite, they really toned it down, it tastes like many other tasteless molson brews, but id take this over their macro lagers. Mouthfeel was nice and full, but over carbonated. Drinkability is decent, i could slam these back all night. For the price of this beer not worth it, you can spend alot less and get a better product. On the fence! (598 characters)

Pours a light copper with a thin white head and a little bit of lacing on the glass.

The aroma is faintly fruity and some herbal hoppiness.

THe taste is pretty toned down but there is a small amount of hop bitterness there. The malt is more present and not a very good balance especially for a pale ale, I'd like something a little more bitter. The mouthfeel seems thin and it was overcarbonated. (398 characters)

I tried this beer on July 23, 2007 at 'Hard Rock Cafe - Rogers Centre (SkyDome)' in Toronto. The beer was a very pale yellow colour with an ample head that died quickly, but left traces on the side of the glass. There was very little aroma of note, what aroma there was...was weak and hard to identify. The mouthfeel was crisp, slightly thin-bodied, with some hints of mild carbonation. The taste was very watered down as well. Not something I would order again. I have to admit, the thin crisp mouthfeel and watery taste would make this beer go down very easy which would make it a great beer for University students wanting to get drunk on something other than Blue or Canadian (679 characters)